Call for Applications – HIRAKU 3MT Competition 2020

The HIRAKU 3MT Competition is an exciting opportunity for Doctorate students to effectively explain their research within a limited time-span of three minutes, in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience. The Competition aims to develop the Doctorates’ presentation and research communication skills, while leading to broader society (as the audience) further enhancing their positive understanding of doctorate resources and researches.

What’s the HIRAKU 3MT (Three Minute Thesis) Competition?

The Competition has been held as a part of the initiatives of the consortium program, “Home for Innovative Researchers and Academic Knowledge Users (HIRAKU)” (Lead Partner Organization: Hiroshima University, Co-Partner Organizations: Yamaguchi University and Tokushima University), with the aim of promoting the advancement and development of young researchers through regional collaboration. The HIRAKU 3MT Competition has been held annually since 2015, with this year being the 6th edition of the Competition. It will be conducted entirely online this year, expanding the scope of the eligible participants to all doctorates in Japanese universities.
*The contents of the Application Guideline and the Final Stage schedule are subject to change.

Eligibility

Doctorate students (from any research field) enrolled at any domestic university in Japan (*).
*Excluding students enrolled in master programs and/or professional degree programs.

Number of Divisions

2 (Japanese and English).

Competition Stages

The Competition will be held in the following two judgement stages for each division:
1. Video Screening (Late October 2020)
2. Online Presentation Judging – the Final Stage (Saturday, November 21, 2020)
(Application Deadline: 5 p.m. Monday, October 12, 2020).

Judging Panel

There will be a Judging Panel for each division (Japanese/English). The Panels will consist of university/enterprise officials, experts, amongst others, invited from within and outside of Japan. 　
Details and the latest news on the respective Judging Panels will be announced on the website below.
>> https://hiraku.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/event/competition_2020/judgingpanel/

Prizes

●Winner
The Winner of each division will receive a certificate, a \300,000 scholarship and more.
●Runner-Up
The Runner-Up of each division will receive a certificate, a \150,000 scholarship, and more.　
●People’s Choice
The People’s Choice (to be decided by the Audience Polls) of each division will receive a certificate, a \80,000 scholarship, and more.　
*In addition to the above, several video presentations from the Semi-Final Stage will be selected for a Sponsor Award, (these awards will be specifically titled after the special sponsors’ names).

Application Procedure

Firstly, please choose a division (Japanese and English), and then fill in the Application Form within the link for each division below (you will need to have a Google account to access the Application Forms). You can apply to both sections at the same time. If your presentation is selected for the Final Stage, the Judging Panel will decide the suitable division for you.

　Japanese Division  Application Form (applications have closed for the 2020 Competition)
　English Division     Application Form (applications have closed for the 2020 Competition)

>> Application Guideline (pdf,730KB)

References

About the 3MT: The Three Minute Thesis (3MT ®) Competition was developed by The University of Queensland (UQ). Nowadays, 3MT is held at over 900 universities across more than 85 countries worldwide.
>> Click for more details

★References
● HIRAKU 3MT Videos of the Former Winners
● Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) – APAC 3MT Finalists from previous years
● 3MT Training Videos: Presentation Training 2019 (Hiroshima & Tokushima Universities)
● HIRAKU 3MT Training Video: Presentation Training Overseas

Inquiries/Contacts

The HIRAKU 3MT Operating Office (the Competition Office)
Global Career Design Center at Hiroshima University
7-1, Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8514
TEL：082-424-2058　E-mail：hiraku3m■hiroshima-u.ac.jp　※Please replace ■ with @.

Special Sponsors：

Sponsors：KYOWA HAKKO BIO CO.,LTD. Yamaguchi Production Center／TODA KOGYO CORP.／NH Foods Ltd. R&D Center／Nomura Research Institute, Ltd.

Cooperators：
Springer Nature
This Competition is held with the comprehensive support of Springer Nature, especially in regard to promotional activities. This support is a result of Springer Nature being in agreement with the purpose of the Competition, which is to develop the Doctorates’ presentation and research communication skills, while leading to broader society (as the audience) further enhancing their positive understanding of doctorate resources and researches.
Website: https://www.springernature.com/jp/campaign/3MT-E

Japan Science and Technology Agency
This Competition will be broadcasted online as a part of “Science Agora 2020” held by JST.
Website of Science Agora: https://www.jst.go.jp/sis/scienceagora/en/